A Night to Forget

I look forward to exactly two awards shows each year: The Oscars and the Emmys. Typically, these are polished and classy productions that focus on actual artistic achievment, rather than display how much Hollywood is in love with itself (I'm looking at you, Golden Globes). They're a nice way to justify my viewing of certain films/shows and usually act as a mini trip down memory lane for each medium.

That being said, Sunday's Emmy telecast was a complete letdown. I won't give a complete recap or awards commentary like I did last year, but I will give some highlights and lowlights:

Highlights:

• Warm tributes -- one for Johnny Carson introduced by David Letterman, one a semi-memorial for Peter Jennings introduced by Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather. They also focused on "the news" in general. I think it's scary/sad that video journalistm now falls under the entertainment spotlight.
• Lost wins Best Drama -- I'm a firm believer in HBO/FX programming being superior to regular network programming, but in an off year for HBO, I'm pretty happy that Lost won. It's a very captivating program (though not perfect) with extremely interesting characters and a plot that keeps me watching every week.
• The Deadwood clip that literally had 30 seconds of straight expletive-deleted bleeping.
• Better nominations -- Deadwood, Arrested Development, Entourage, Lost, Scrubs, The Shield, House, 24 all getting more nominations than they get last year on the whole. Now that Ray has left the building and West Wing is on its deathbed, the next few years should be rosey.
• That's about it.

You want this dude to introduce the show?

Lowlights:

• Pretty much everything else -- Ellen Degeneres, who is usually a solid comedienne, was a terrible host, with terrible jokes and terrible running gags. I guess if the purpose of the host is to announce presenters and keep the show moving along, she did her job, since the whole thing was so damn boring and couldn't be helped from moving along.
• Low-DTV. How can a show that celebrates television not be broadcast in HDTV? I nearly threw up in my mouth when I saw two gray, vertical bars and fuzzy, washed out colors on my screen
• Emmy Idol -- one of the stupidest running gags ever taking place on an awards show -- "Normal" TV stars performing some of our "favorite" TV themes. Yes, the theme to Fame (as sung by an out of breath Kristen Bell) is one of my favorites. I hum it on the T every morning. Give me a break. William Shatner performing the speaking part to the theme to Star Trek and then staring at the Soprano next to him while she sang was extremely creepy. Donald Trump and Megan Mullally speaking and singing, respectively, the theme to Green Acres would have been much better if the show's producers had them switch parts (with the Donald ad libing Ava Gabor's lines... "darling I love ya but give me Trump Tower's View"). This schtick might have worked two years ago with the whole explosion of American Idol, but in 2005 it seems bored with itself, unoriginal and uninspired. Why not have a mini-soap-opera/surreal life takeoff involving the stage hands or production crew? When will Dick Clark Productions call me for bright ideas?
• Earth Wind & Fire and the Black Eyed Peas -- when did mainstream television become so funky? EW&F bastardizing its own lyrics to cover events that happened over the year -- mostly limited to Martha Stewart and Tom Cruise.... who cares?!?! 95% of the awards are for scripted television series and documentaries!!! It's ok to talk/sing about television shows without alienating people who don't follow them. Why is it assumed that everyone watching the Emmys cares deeply about reality programming? If you're going to go the Billy Crystal route, go the whole way. Ugh.
• Best Actor/Best Actress nominee introductions -- nearly every other category provided those 10 second clips of video for each of its nominees. Why did were best actor/actrees nominees passed over? I want to see Jack Bauer kicking Marwan's ass! I want to see Dr. House chew out everyone! I even want to see Teri Hatcher streaking and riding a mechanical bull. Just plain disrespectful.
• Family Guy comments -- every 20 minutes another quick view of the Griffin Family watching the Emmys and making comments. Unfunny banter from an unfunny animated show about an unentertaining awards show.

Fixes for next year:

HDTV, Conan O'Brien and his writers. It's that simple.

Can I Get a Hell Yeah?

I'm wondering if I'm the only person to find the Daily Show unfunny. I just don't get how Jon Stewart, reading some news while video plays, and then mugging for the camera is hilarious -- even Emmy-worthy, as I write this during the Emmy telecast. The news-reading and commentary is just plain stupid -- and not in the funny way. The taped segments are occasionaly funny, but most of the time just one joke ponies. The only good thing about the show are the guest interviews. The audience is treated to authors, columnists and other personalities that other late night talk show bookers would probably overlook. Too bad this is not what the show is known for and I don't plan on sitting through 20 minutes of non-entertainement for it.

Hilarious, itn'd it?

Jon Stewart and the Daily Show are the benificiaries of great timing on the part of the US Government and the Republicans that control it. When the balance of power eventually tilts towards the left, how many pot-smoking college students and the like enjoy the majority of jokes aimed at the Dems?

Conan is king. Why can't everyone else agree?

John Roberts: One Sneaky SOB

I'm loving the John Roberts Hearings Saga. This dude is just making a killing. Soon-to-be-Chief-Justice Roberts is using the Constitution of the United States of America to do all the answering which is exactly what he should be doing. He has totally baffled Democrats with his smooth responses, referring to the constitutionality of certain laws and precedents that certain court rulings have created. All those 'controversial' memos he wrote while working for the Reagan administration? They're only the memos of a "person who respects the law". Brilliant.

George Bush might be an idiot, but every now and then he makes some good picks, like the guy in a fantasy football league who has no idea what he's doing, but can make sense out of a simple ranking of running backs.

Hey, remember John Bolton? Yeah, haven't heard a lot out of the UN lately. Maybe that's because he's acutally doing his job. Thanks, Dems, for making me think he would make it absolutely impossible for the US and the UN to work together.

I'm a registered Democrat and I'm embarrased for my party.

So Far So Good

I'm two weeks into the new job and so far so good. It's a much different type of work than what I was doing at BU, but that's what I was looking for anyway. I won't blog much about it, since supposedly it's unethical in many of the eyes of corporate America to state your opinion about your employers or your employment situation.

I do have a problem with the whole business-dressy thing. A question to all you fellows who have to wear something a step above jeans/khakis to work -- how do you prevent your keys from digging into your thigh through the thin fabric? It's like I'm having bamboo shoot stuck into me whenever I sit on the T or at my desk. Also, how is it possible to keep your pocket change from making noise like a jar of coins being shaken? Keep in mind I'm not planning to buy a change purse or a 'portfolio'.

Anyway, work is good; the people are nice and the days fly by, which hasn't happened for while to me.